Flexible delineator post

ABSTRACT

A delineator post adapted to spring back to its original upright position after an impact comprises an inground socket permanently installed in a paved surface. A resilient plug having a lower end portion is inserted in the inground socket. The resilient plug has an upper end portion projecting upwardly from the inground socket. An anchor is provided for releasably anchoring the resilient plug to the inground socket. A post segment is fastened over the upper end portion of the resilient plug. The tension in the resilient plug when subject to a deformation as a result of an impact on the post segment returns the post segment back to its original upright position.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The application relates generally to delineators and, more particularly, to a flexible delineator adapted to bend upon impact and then return to its original upright position.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

Self-restorable delineator posts having the ability to spring back to their original upright positions after an impact are known. Compression spring members are typically used to return the posts to their original upright positions.

One problem associated with these types of posts is that after a certain number of deformations, the spring members tend to loose some of their elasticity and, thus, some of their capability to return the posts to their original positions, thereby resulting in the posts being inclined at an angle from the vertical. Also the installation/removal of such flexible delineator posts is somewhat time consuming.

Accordingly, there is a need to provide a new flexible delineator post assembly offering durability and ease of installation.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, there is provided a flexible delineator post assembly comprising an inground socket permanently installed in a paved surface; a rubber joint having a plug body including upper and lower end portions, the lower end portion being releasably insertable in the inground socket with the upper end portion projecting upwardly from the inground socket; an anchor for releasably anchoring the rubber joint to the inground socket; a post segment having a tubular lower end portion fitted over the upper end portion of the rubber joint; and a fastener for releasably attaching the post segment to the upper end portion of rubber joint.

In a second aspect, there is provided a self-restorable delineator post adapted to spring back to an original upright position after an impact, comprising an inground socket adapted to be permanently installed in a paved surface, a resilient plug having a lower end portion insertable into the inground socket, the resilient plug having an upper end portion projecting upwardly from the inground socket when the lower end portion of the resilient plug is inserted therein, an anchor operable from the upper end portion of the resilient plug for releasably anchoring the resilient plug to the inground socket, and a post segment fastenable over the upper end portion of the resilient plug, the tension in the resilient plug when subject to a deformation as a result of an impact on the post segment returning the post segment back to its original upright position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is now made to the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a flexible delineator post in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the flexible joint portion of the delineator post shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 a to 3 e are sequential views illustrating the installation procedure of the delineator post in a paved surface;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating how the permanently installed inground socket of the post can be plugged after the delineator post has been removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a flexible self-restorable delineator post 10 comprising an above-ground post segment 12 adapted to be releasably fastened to a resilient joint 14 which is, in turn, adapted to be releasably anchored to an inground socket 16. The inground socket 16 can be provided in the form of an open ended steel sleeve.

Reflective material 13 can be affixed to the post segment 12 to give warning or guidance. The post segment 12 can be tubular and has a lower hollow end section 15 adapted to be tightly fitted over the resilient joint 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower hollow end section 15 can have a thickened wall section to provide for a more sturdy connection between the resilient joint 14 and the post segment 12. The post segment 12 can be made of metal or of other suitable materials having sufficient structural integrity for the intended application.

The resilient joint 14 can be provided in the form of a one-piece solid rubber plug having an upper cylindrical end or head portion 18 and a lower cylindrical end portion 20. The rubber material can be reinforced with appropriate strengthening fibers. The rubber material is selected to have a medium hardness. According to one example, the hardness of the rubber material is comprised between about 30 to about 70 durometer. Most preferably the rubber material is selected to have hardness in a range from about 40 to about 50 durometer.

The upper and lower end portions 18 and 20 of the joint 14 are coaxial. As can be appreciated from FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper end portion 18 has a greater diameter than the lower end portion 20. The cross-section of the lower end portion 20 is selected so as to tightly fit inside the inground socket 16. Likewise, the cross-section of the upper end portion 16 is selected to tightly fit inside the hollow lower end portion 15 of the post segment 12. The difference in cross-section between the upper and lower end portions 18 and 20 provides an annular shoulder which is configured to rest against the upper lip of the inground socket 16 when the rubber joint 14 is pulled inside of the socket 16, as will be explained hereinafter.

According to the illustrated example, the joint 14 is releasably anchored against axial removal to the inground socket 16 by means of a hook 22 engageable with a crossbar 24 extending transversally through a lower end portion of the socket 16. The hook 22 is threadably engaged on a bolt 26 mounted inside a central hole 28 extending axially through the joint 14. The bolt 26 has a socket head 30 resting on a metal washer 32 embedded within the joint 14. A tool, such as an Allen key K (see FIG. 3 d) can be inserted in the central hole 28 for engagement with the socket head 30 in order to cause the hook 22 to be axially displaced along the threaded shank of the bolt 26 in response to a rotation of the bolt 26 by the operation of the tool. A stopper (not shown) can be provided at the tip of the bolt 26 opposite the head thereof to prevent the hook 22 from becoming disengaged from the threaded shank of the bolt 26. For instance, a weld can be formed at the tip of the bolt 26 after the hook 22 has been threadably engaged thereon in order to prevent subsequent separation thereof. The bolt 26 and the hook 22 cooperate to form a pull rod which can be operated to pull the joint 14 in secure axial engagement inside the socket 16 with the shoulder of the joint 14 drawn firmly against the top lip or edge surface of the socket 16. It is understood that the pull rod could take other form as well and is not limited to the above specific example.

Other anchoring mechanism could be used as well to anchor the joint 14 to the inground socket 16. For instance, anchors with radially deployable anchoring fingers and the like could be used. Threadably engageable anchors are contemplated as well.

An anti-rotation mechanism can be provided between the joint 14 and the inground socket 16. This is particularly useful whenever the post segment 12 carries a sign or has indicia thereon which must assume a predetermined orientation relative to a road or the like. According to the illustrated example, the anti-rotation mechanism comprises a pair of diametrically opposed stoppers, which can take the form of protrusions 34 depending integrally downwardly from the shoulder between the upper head portion 18 and the lower end portion 20 of the joint 14 for engagement in corresponding diametrically opposed rounded notches 36 defined in the upper lip of the inground socket 16. The engagement of the protrusions 34 in the upwardly opened notches 36 locks the joint 14 against rotation relative to the inground socket. It understood that the anti-rotation mechanism could also form an integral part of the anchoring mechanism used to prevent axial withdrawal of the joint 14 from the inground socket 16. In this case, there is no need for a dedicated or separate anti-rotation mechanism. Also, the inground socket 16 can have a somewhat elliptical cross-section to further restrict angular movement between the joint 14 and the socket 16.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, fasteners such as nuts 38 and bolts 40 are provided for releasably attaching the post segment 12 to the joint 14. In the illustrated example, pairs of registering transversal holes 42 and 44 are respectively defined in the lower tubular end portion 15 of the post segment 12 and the upper end portion 18 of the joint 14 for receiving top and bottom bolts 40 therethrough. Metal plates 46 rigidly interconnects the top and bottom bolts 40 on each side of the post segment in order to ensure that the center-to-center distance between the holes 44 in the rubber joint remains constant at all time even when the joint 14 is subject to deformation. This contributes to prevent premature wear of the rubber joint 14 due to repeated vehicle impacts or the like. Washers 48 are provided on the threaded shank of the bolts 40 on the outer side of the link plates 46.

The load supported by the bolts 40 is minimized by the presence of the above described anti-rotation mechanism. Indeed, by preventing angular movement between the joint 14 and the inground socket 16 and, thus, between the post segment 12 and the inground socket 16, the bolts 40 do not have to support bending moments in the transversal plane of the post segment 12.

FIGS. 3 a to 3 e illustrate the installation procedure of the flexible delineator post 10. First, as shown in FIG. 3 a, a hole is made in a paved surface P (e.g. a roadway) and a granular material, such as sand, is poured and compacted in the bottom of the hole to provide a leveled base for the inground socket 16. The inground socket 16 is thereafter lowered into the hole to assume an upstanding position and quick-setting cement or the like is poured in the hole about the socket 16 to secure the socket 16 in position in the hole. As can be appreciated from FIG. 3 a, the upper end of the socket 16 is substantially flush with the pavement level once the installation is completed. This arrangement provides for a permanent installation of the socket 16 in the ground.

As shown in FIG. 3 b, the rubber plug 14 is then pushed into the socket 16 with the hook 22 oriented parallel to the crossbar 24. The plug 14 is oriented so that the anti-rotation protrusion 34 is aligned with the receiving notches 36. In the fully inserted position, only the upper head portion 18 of the rubber joint 14 projects upwardly from the socket 16 and the pavement surface, as shown in FIG. 3 c. The lower end portion 20 is fully received within the socket 16. The hook 22 projects downwardly beyond the crossbar 24. A tool, such as an Allen Key K, is then used to drive the bolt 26 in rotation in a clockwise direction. The sidewall of the socket 16 and the crossbar 24 prevent the hook 22 from rotating together with the bolt 26. The hook 22 is thus constrained to move axially upwardly along the threaded shank of the bolt 26. This causes the hook 22 to eventually firmly engage the crossbar 24, as shown in FIG. 3 d. After engagement of the hook 22 with the crossbar 24, continued tightening of the screw 26 causes the shoulder of the rubber joint 14 to be pulled firmly against the underlying upper lip or edge of the socket 16.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 3 e, the post segment 12 is lowered over the portion of the rubber joint 14 projecting upwardly from the pavement P, namely the upper head portion 18, and is fastened thereto with the nuts 38 and bolts 40.

If there is a need to remove the post segment and the rubber joint, as it might be the case during the winter season, a rubber plug 50 can be inserted under pressure into the socket 16 to close the same. The plug 50 can have a plug body 54 and a flexible flap 52 projecting from the plug body 54 to facilitate removal of the plug 50 from the socket 16. The flap 52 can be collapsible in order not to interfere with the passage of vehicle (e.g. a snowplough) thereover. It can be appreciated that the above described assembly provides ease of installation and replacement.

The flexible joint 14 allows the post 10 to withstand repeated vehicle impacts and from different directions. The pole 10 is flexible on 360 degrees. Upon impact, the pole 10 bends and quickly bounces back to its original upright position due to the elasticity of the deformable rubber joint 14. The tension in the rubber joint 14, when deformed, provides the required force to return the post 10 to its upright position even after numerous vehicle impacts. Conventional flexible post arrangements having spring members working in compression will typically lose some of their springiness over time resulting in non-perfectly upright posts. Unlike conventional compression spring members who tend to loose some of their capacity to spring back to their original shape over repeated deformations, the rubber joint maintains a constant elasticity over time to return the post to its exact original upright position. The rubber joint operates in tension and not in compression like the conventional spring members. The elastic properties of the rubber joint are less susceptible to deterioration over time. The rubber joint contributes to provide a durable delineator product. It is also relatively cheap to produce and can be easily installed, which contributes to further lower the overall costs of the flexible or collapsible delineator post.

As can be appreciated the above described flexible delineator post allows for a wide variety of applications, including bicycle path delineation, parking, road side, edge marking in general etc.

The above description is meant to be exemplary only, and one skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed. Any modifications which fall within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of a review of this disclosure, and such modifications are intended to fall within the appended claims. 

1. A flexible delineator post assembly comprising an inground socket permanently installed in a paved surface; a rubber joint having a plug body including upper and lower end portions, the lower end portion being releasably insertable in the inground socket with the upper end portion projecting upwardly from the inground socket; an anchor for releasably anchoring the rubber joint to the inground socket; a post segment having a tubular lower end portion fitted over the upper end portion of the rubber joint; and a fastener for releasably attaching the post segment to the upper end portion of rubber joint.
 2. The flexible delineator post assembly defined in claim 1, wherein the upper end portion of the rubber joint has a greater cross-section than that of lower end portion thereof, thereby forming a shoulder therebetween, and wherein the anchor comprises a pulling rod mounted to the rubber joint and engageable with a corresponding anchoring point provided on the inground socket for drawing the shoulder in tight engagement against and an upper lip portion of the inground socket.
 3. The flexible delineator post assembly defined in claim 2, wherein the pulling rod comprises a bolt mounted in a axially extending hole defined through the plug body of the rubber joint, the bolt having a threaded shank depending downwardly from the plug body and having a hook threadably engaged thereon for longitudinal movement therealong in response to a rotation of the bolt.
 4. The flexible delineator post assembly defined in claim 3, wherein the anchoring point includes a crossbar extending transversally through the inground socket.
 5. The flexible delineator post assembly defined in claim 1, wherein at least one stopper extends from the plug body for engagement in a corresponding notch defined in the inground socket, the engagement of the stopper in the notch preventing rotation of the rubber joint relative to the inground socket.
 6. The flexible delineator post assembly defined in claim 1, wherein said fastener comprises a pair of bolts extending transversally through the post segment and the rubber joint, the two bolts being link by a metal plate.
 7. The flexible delineator post assembly defined in claim 1, wherein the hardness of the rubber joint is comprised between about 30 to about 70 durometer.
 8. The flexible delineator post assembly defined in claim 7, wherein the hardness of the rubber joint is comprised between about 40 to about 50 durometer.
 9. A self-restorable delineator post adapted to spring back to an original upright position after an impact, comprising an inground socket adapted to be permanently installed in a paved surface, a resilient plug having a lower end portion insertable into the inground socket, the resilient plug having an upper end portion projecting upwardly from the inground socket when the lower end portion of the resilient plug is inserted therein, an anchor operable from the upper end portion of the resilient plug for releasably anchoring the resilient plug to the inground socket, and a post segment fastenable over the upper end portion of the resilient plug, the tension in the resilient plug when subject to a deformation as a result of an impact on the post segment returning the post segment back to its original upright position.
 10. The self-restorable delineator post defined in claim 9, wherein the resilient plug comprises a solid block of rubber material.
 11. The self-restorable delineator post defined in claim 10, wherein the hardness of the rubber material ranges from about 30 durometer to about 70 durometer.
 12. The self-restorable delineator post defined in claim 9, wherein the anchor comprises a bolt received in a hole extending axially through the resilient plug, the bolt having a threaded shank portion projecting beyond the lower end portion of the resilient plug and having a hook threadably engaged thereon.
 13. The self-restorable delineator post defined in claim 12, wherein the bolt has a socket head resting on a washer retained captive inside the resilient plug, the socket head being accessible though said hole from said upper lower end portion of the resilient plug.
 14. The self-restorable delineator post defined in claim 12, wherein the hook is restrained against rotation inside the inground socket, whereby rotation of the bolt is transferred into linear movement of the hook along the threaded shank portion of the bolt.
 15. The self-restorable delineator post defined in claim 9, wherein anti-rotation features are provided between the resilient plug and the inground socket.
 16. The self-restorable delineator post defined in claim 15, wherein the anti-rotation features comprises a pair of projections extending from the resilient plug for engagement in a corresponding pair of notches defined in an upper lip portion of the inground socket.
 17. The self-restorable delineator post defined in claim 9, wherein the post segment is fastened to the upper end portion of the resilient plug by at least one threaded fastener extending transversally through the post segment and the resilient joint. 